Trip-lock for use in starting explosive-engines.



N. DB WIND. TRIP LOOK FOR USE 1N STARTING EXPLOSIVB ENGINES.

APPLIUATION TILED FEB. 10, 190B- Patented Sept. 20, 1910;

subject of the King the cycle going NORMAN DE WIND, OF HARVEY, ILLINOIS,

ASSIGNOB TO AUSTIN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TRIP-LOCK FOR USE IN STARTING EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 20, 1910.

Application ,filed February 10, 1908. Serial No. 415,221.

To all whomvit mag concern:

Be it known that I, NORMAN DE WIND, a

of Great Britain, residing at Harvey, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trip-Locks for Use in Starting Explosive-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

To start up a single cylinder gas or gasolene engine of 10 horse power and upward, i which cannot beturned by hand without i great labor, many makers fix a hand pump l on the cylinder by which an explosive charge i can be forced at considerable pressure into i the cylinder combustion space and then fired i a spark or other device. This entails holding the balance wheel against the pump pressure, since otherwise the piston will be moved out of position by the pumping, and the compression lost. In many cases this requires a second man to assist at the starting up of a large engine To temporarily hold the balance against turning during the pumping in o the initial charge, several devices and appliances have been proposed; and the present invention relates to a new and improved device of this character combining simplicity and economy with reliability and citiciency of action.

The device of my present invention is in the nature of a trigger or spring anchor, which engages with a small notch cut in the side of the balance wheel rim, said notch havinga transverse wall adapted to squarely abut against the trigger, and an oblique or inclined longitudinal wall facilitating the in troduction of the trigger into the notchand l the construction is such that the holding power of the trigger can be regulated to almost exactly balance the pressure on the piston which an average man can create with the hand-charging pump.

The trigger takes the form of a rigid fiuger pivoted at one end on a stationary support and yieldably engaged laterally by spring means; which finger holds the wheel against turning while the charge is being umped in, and when the charge in the cylinderis fired, a minute portion of its energy upsets and releases the trigger or anchor,-

wheel ile the great bulk of the energy goes to revolving the balance wheel, and this sets n the usual well known way,

the trigger being automatically thrown and f' 8 (Fig. 2) and retained out of the path of the balance wheel until subsequently brought into locking engagement by hand with the notch thereof.

My invention will be readily understood when considered in connection with the accom panying drawings, which illustrate a preferred mechanical embodiment thereof, and in which,--

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of the crank shaft and balance wheel of an explosive engine, with my improved locking appliance applied thereto, the balance wheel being shown in horizontal section. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail on the offset line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlar ed front elevational view of the trip lock detached.

Referring to the drawings, 5 designates a portion of the frame of the engine, 6 the engine shaft journaled therein, and 7 the balance wheel, mounted on a projecting end of the engineshaft. In the inner side 0 the rim of the balance wheel is formed a notch having a transverse wall or shoulder an oblique or inclined longitudinal wall 9. Cooperating with this notch is a trigger or anchor in the form of a finger 10, the free end of which is preferably oblique, as shown at 11, said finger at its other end having a hub 12 by which it isloosely mounted on a wear-sleeve or bushing 13, this latter in turn being mounted on arod 14 having screw-threaded ends. The rod 14 is supported in and by the free ends of a pair of spring arms or jaws 15, these latter being secured by screws 16 to the side of the engine frame 5, as best shown in Fig. 1, and the hub 12 of the finger 10 being mounted on that portion of the rod 14 lying between said spring jaws. The outer ends of the jaws 15 are turned inwardly toward each other, and the adjacent edges thereof are concaved, asshown in Fig. 3, to grip the finger 10. The slurping of the ends of the aws is such as to leave an entrance passageway 17 for the introduction of the finger between the jaws somewhat wider than the exit passageway 18 below the finger, for a purpose which will be hereinafter referred to. In order to secure the requisite clamping effect upon the finger where comparatively light spring arms are used, and more especially to adjust and-regulate the clamping effect upon the finger, the sides of the arms are backed by coil compression springs 19 surrounding the rod 14, these springs abutting at their BIlClS against the arms 15 which it is out of the path of the rim of the balance wheel. and does. not interfere with the travel of the latter. When the engine is to receive a-starting charge to be pumped in by hand, the balance wheel is turned to bring the notch opposite the fin ger, whereupon the finger is pushed outwardly by hand through the wider passageway 17 between the ends of the spring jaws into locking engagement with the notch, as shown by full lines in Figs. 1 and 2. The exit passageway 18 is so much narrower than the entrance passageway 17 that the finger 10 is held from yielding against the push of the stop-shoulder 8 thereon, due to the compression of the initial charge being pumped into the cylinder and acting through the pistons and connections therefrom to the balance wheel. VVh-en the charge is fired, however, a very small fraction of the energy 'suflices to drive "the finger 10 out through the,

exit passageway 18, either throwing the finger around to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2 or permitting the finger to hang down out of the path of the balance wheel. The compression springs 19 can be regulated to a nicety by the nuts 21, and it is by this regulation that the holding power of the finger or trigger is made to counterbalance the pressure imparted to the crank of the engine shaft by the hand pump starting apparatus. The bushing or wear-sleeve 13 is somewhat longer than the hub of the trigger, so that it relieves the hub 12 of the trigger from the side pressure of the spring arms or brackets 15, at the same time permitting the inwardly bent ends or jaws of said arms to engage the trigger itself.

These jaws may be'gre'ased to prevent wear or cutting into the trigger by use; but even if wear should take place, the s1eeve'13 can be easily removed and filed shorter, thus allowing a closer approach of the jaws.

The inclined notch can easily be cut in the arm of the balance wheel at any desired position of the crank; but in practical exposi- .tion shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, 1n

thereof to prevent per'ienc'e it has been found that when the crank is about 30 degrees above its inner center on the explosion stroke that is the best position in which to have the trigger engage the notch.

I claim:

1. A trip lock for explosive engines comprising in combination a rigid finger pivoted at one end on a stationary support and at its other end adapted to engage a stop'shoulder on the balance wheel of the engine, and,

spring means engagin said .finger'laterally isplacement of said finger under the compression of a starting charge, but permitting displacement thereof under the energy of. the charge when fired, substantially as described.

2. A trip lock for explosive engines, com,-

prising in combination a finger pivoted at one end on a stationary support and at its other end adapted to engage a stop shoulder on a balance wheel of the engine, and spring jaws adapted to grip said finger laterally thereof, said jaws being so formed as to provide an entrance for said fingerbetween them wider than the exit passage of said finger therefrom, substantially as described.

3,. A trip lock for explosive engines, comprising in combination a finger pivoted at one end on a stationary support and. at its:

other end adapted to engage a stop shoulder on the balance wheel of the engine, and sprin jaws having concave ends gri ping said nger laterally thereof, substantia y as described. I

4. A trip lock for explosive engines, coniprisin in combination a pair of spring jaws secure to a stationary support, a rod mounted in said jaws, a finger. pivoted at one end on said rod between said jaws, and at its other end adapted toengage a stop shoulder on the balance wheel of the vengine, said finger being engaged laterally by and betweenthe adjacent ends of said jaws, compression springs mounted on said rod and operating to force said jaws to ether-upon said zfinger, and means'for a justing the strength of said springs, substantially as described.

NORMAN DE WIND. Witnesses FREDERICK O. Goonwm, CLARE L. RosENow. 

